Custom Cyberlox

Hey there.

I just uploaded some more cyberlox photos that have been customized. If you want to find out more about getting customized cyberlox send an e-mail to store@neonpixie.com Depending on what you want, the price fluxuates.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter PART TWO!

I got into Wizarding World of Harry Potter again this morning! Yay! Haha, here’s my review below.

PHOTOS FROM DAY 2: http://www.neonpixie.com/?page_id=4&g2_itemId=7934

Not sure if I would be let in or not again today, I headed over to Universal Studios and attempted to gain access to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP). I arrived to the gates of Islands of Adventure around 8:20am and waiting until 9am to be let in. There was a MAD rush over to WWoHP once the gates were open. Unfortunately, many were very disappointed when the “Yellow guards” of Universal were blocking the path and letting only onsite hotel guests through. Many were turned away and it was almost 10am. Many of us thought they really weren’t going to let us in. The “yellow guards” repeatedly stated that the general public would not be let in today. “I can promise you that the general public will not be let in today!” And then someone else would shout: “We are not letting the general public in at this time!” Meaning…they may later! J So, I waited. At 9:56am one of the staff looked at his watch and yelled: “You have 4 minutes, we are letting you in, you have 4 MINUTES! We close at 10am! If you run, we will ask you to leave!” And then, we all fast-walked into Harry Potter World! *sigh* I am getting SO spoiled by these soft openings.

Just as a notice, no one was being forced to leave until around noon, and even then, it was just people gradually going towards the exit because all the rides, etc were closing. But, being the ignorant person I am, really kind of thought I only had 4 minutes. I had promised my grandma I would bring her back a bottle of pumpkin juice if I got in today, so the first thing I did when I got in was head over to Honeydukes. I bought one, and took a sip. It really is…well, pumpkin juice! It’s sort of like a pumpkin and apple pie combined. It’s delicious!

Next thing I did was go to Dervish and Banges where I talked to one of the workers about the Owl Post. He said that they were completely sold out of postcards, hence the reason why I couldn’t find them. He did say however you could buy any type of stationary and bring it into Hogsmeade and they will stamp it and mail it for you. There’s a little box for “far distances” and “small distances.” In other words, out of state or international and local to Florida. I also went to find out more about the broomsticks. Those are also ALL sold out, but from what the team member told me, The Nimbus Two Thousand and One runs for $250 and the Firebolt runs for $300. She also said she doesn’t know when more will be restocked, but to keep checking back.

Next I went over to Ollivanders since I didn’t get a chance to check it out yesterday. I waited in line (it wasn’t too bad) and a small group was let into the shop. When you’re let in there is a wizard standing behind a shelf looking at different wands and muttering to himself. Wands are towering over you from every direction. It’s really neat looking. (pictures of it can be found in the gallery) When the whole group has gotten in the wizard looks up and says, feel free to look around at all the wands and I will be with you shortly. He continues muttering to himself and then he steps out from behind the shelf and walks amongst us. Finally he says, “Ah, yes, you good lady, please come up here with me.” He has selected someone from the crowd. She walked up with him and he asked her what her birth date was and which arm was her “wand arm.” She said November and her left. He proceeded to measure her arm and her head, etc while at the same time telling everyone interesting facts about the wands. (Of course I can’t remember any of them right now) Eventually he selected a wand for her and told her to summon the ladder towards her. She said “Accio ladder!” and the shelves behind the latter began banging and popping in and out making lots of noise. The wizard said: “No, no, not the right wand!” So, he snatched the wand back and gave her a new one. As soon as he put the new wand in her hand it began to “thunderstorm” in the shop. He said: “No, no, not the right one again! Don’t worry, we’ll find you the right one!” Then music began to play and he said: “I wonder…” and he grabbed another wand from the wall and handed it to her. As soon as it was in her hand the music got louder, a light shone on her and a breeze blew her. Her face lit up in the biggest smile EVER! The wizard said: “Ah, yes, that is your wand. The wand after all, chooses the wizard.” Everyone clapped and we were instructed to go into another wand shop (Which is connected to Dervish and Banges) and we all left. It was a really magical experience and if you happen to be the lucky chosen one, I bet it’s even more magical! But it was still great to watch even if you aren’t chosen!

After that I headed back over to the Forbidden Journey to ride it again. There was absolutely NO wait. It was fantastic! I really took my time going through the queue this time and got more pictures of it. When I was on the ride, during the Dementor attack, I realized that the Dementors actually suck your soul and you can see your “soul” in a shimmery light. Also, when I got off the ride, I was asked by two women (who looked pretty professional and said they worked for universal) and asked me what I thought about the park. I told them what I thought about the shops being too small, the ride epic, and how I was disappointed that there were “fake” shops we couldn’t go into. I told them they should at least open those shops as exhibits if they aren’t actually going to sell anything in them. They mentioned that was a good idea, but I doubt if they’ll actually do anything with them.

After that I basically just milled around taking pictures and talking to a lot of people who worked there or were visiting. It was a fascinating experience. I could spend DAYS in WWoHP. Well hope you enjoyed my reviews!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

While Maria was in Raleigh, North Carolina at Animazement, Danielle drove down to Orlando, Florida with the hopes of getting into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

AND I GOT IN! And yes, I am sharing my review and photos. This was a soft opening they let me into. The Grand Opening is not until June 18th.

More photos: http://www.neonpixie.com/?page_id=4&g2_itemId=7293

BE WARNED! THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!

Since Friday, May 28th, there have been “soft openings” for onsite hotel guests who wished to go into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP). I have been avidly stalking Harry Potter forums and theme park forums for any information on regular guests or annual pass-holder guests to gain access to WWoHP for a soft opening. Last night, May 31st, a rumor sparked that regular attendees would be allowed into WWoHP this morning. I had to find out if it was true or not. Not knowing if Universal would let me into WWoHP or not I headed off anyways and walked into Islands of Adventure (IOA). As soon as I got in, I headed over to WWoHP. As I was entering Seuss Land, there were two boys who were talking excitedly about getting into WWoHP this morning. I turned to them and asked if they were letting all guests in. They said yes! They said we had until 10am (it was 9am) to get our fill of WWoHP. I ran. I didn’t stop running until I neared the gates and I pulled out my camera and immediately began taking pictures.
It was breathtaking. Upon entering the first thing you notice (or that I noticed) was the Hogwarts Express on the right. Steam puffs out of it occasionally and there is a conductor who is one of the funniest guys I’ve met there. I didn’t go into any of the shops right away because I was just in so much awe that I had actually gotten in and could hardly believe I was really there. I walked through Hogsmeade without going into a single shop. I just stared at everything and took pictures. One of the FIRST things I did though was stop at the Butterbeer station (there is only one) and buy a Butterbeer. You have the options between cold or frozen and in a cup or souvenir mug. I chose cold and in a cup. (I didn’t want to spend $9 on a mug) It was AMAZING! They put the Butterbeer in your cup first and then add the foam on top. The first sip I took I got a mustache. I was so blissfully happy! The Butterbeer itself tastes a lot like butterscotch. It’s absolutely amazing. I walked around with it for a while.
Before entering any of the shops, I had to get to Hogwarts castle. I had heard so many things about the new ride and from what I’d heard; you need to get there fast. However, when I arrived, the line queue was basically empty, you just walked on. Now the castle. *sighs* It was beautiful. I have never been in anything like it or seen anything like it. (I’ve never been abroad and never been in a real castle so hush.) The detail is amazing. I really did feel like I was finally going to Hogwarts. After many years of waiting, I was finally there! When you enter the castle you put your bags, etc in a locker and move on. I kept my camera with me to take photos of the queue. One of the first things you come across is the greenhouse. Plants of every type dangle above your head. Inside the castle is pretty dark, which is kind of disappointing because it’s hard to see all the cool props. But walking through, there are a ton of portraits that talk to you and talk to each other. It seems so real. When you get to Dumbledore’s office he’s there talking to you about Hogwarts and quidditch (the story of the ride is at its most BASIC you’re going to go play quidditch with Harry and Ron). As you keep walking through the queue you enter a room where Harry, Ron, and Hermione are. They really look like they’re there! It’s absolutely astounding. If you’re there for a little while they complain about Professor Binns and Ron makes it snow (it’s soap) and they hide under the Invisibility cloak. You continue on to the Gryffindor common room and then FINALLY you get on the ride! The line queue is designed to hold over 6 hours worth of people and they expect it to be that long for the Grand Opening on June 18th.
The ride is superb! You start off by sitting on this bench-like thing that seat up to 4 people. (They’re having problems with fitting larger people into the seats.) Hermione appears and uses floo powder to send you to (a place I can’t remember the name of). Then, Harry and Ron appear on broomsticks in their quidditch uniforms and tell you to follow them. If you’ve ever been on Soaring at Disney World’s Epcot, it’s a little bit like that. (I hated Soaring, but loved Forbidden Journey.) There’s a giant screen in front of you and your cart moves like you’re flying with them. Then, you pass Hagrid who says: “Have you seen a dragon?” His dragon got loose. So you’re still flying with Harry and Ron and then Hagrid’s dragon appears and blocks your way. You move away from the giant screen and into (something kind of like the ride E.T.) and a mechanical dragon’s head pops out of NOWHERE! He kind of sneezes on you and you get wet, and then he roars and blows fire (which is hot steam with an orange light behind it) at you. You continue going and there are giant spiders everywhere! You’ve entered Aragog’s lair. Aragog spits at you and you get wet and Hermione appears and shoots spells at the spiders. (It all looks so real!) Then you’re back in front of a screen and you’re on the quidditch pitch with all the players. BUT THEN Dementors come out of nowhere obstructing the game and you fall into a (dark place that I don’t really know where we were, but might have been Chamber of Secrets because there was a basilisk skeleton in there). Anyways, so you fall in there and Dementors start attacking you (you’re not in front of a screen anymore) and your cart is just going crazy. (You’re almost upside down the whole ride) And then you’re back in front of a screen and Harry yells Expecto Patronum and you’re saved (YAY!). The cave starts caving in (haha) and you race to get out of there. Finally you make it all out and they won the match and yay!! It was a very intense, dark ride. I don’t usually get motion sickness, but I felt a little queasy afterwards. It was also a lot darker than I thought it would be, but I’m glad because it’s not like a super kiddy ride. It’s basically like a Spiderman (the ride) on steroids. I was able to ride it twice. The second time I rode it however, the sound didn’t work towards the end of the ride.
So, I left the ride, and upon leaving you enter a store with tons of Harry Potter merchandise. There were all sorts of different shirts, plushies, books, scarves, pillows, etc. I bought a Gryffindor shirt, even though they ran out of my size, I bought a bigger one anyways. (I couldn’t find any really good Slytherin shirts ) So I left there and began entering all of the stores in Hogsmeade! The first one I went in was Dervish and Banges. It sells ties, scarves, robes, patches, diaries, shirts, hats, pillows, chess sets, toys, plushies, and so much more! The store was VERY small and VERY crowded. It was hard to move around. (Imagine what it will be like opening day!) Dervish and Banges is also connected to a little wand shop that sells a lot of character wands: Harry, Hermione, Ron, McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore, Malfoy, Lupin, and Voldemort and also sells other wands based on peoples birthdays. I was upset they didn’t have Bellatrix’s wand. Wands go for around $30. Most shirts are $20-$30. Long sleeves, hoodies, and sweaters range from $40-$55. Also in Dervish and Banges were broomsticks on display. I’ve heard rumors you can actually buy them and I heard the rumored price for a Firebolt is $300.
I never made it into Ollivanders because the line was SUPER long. Apparently though, once inside a wizard individually picks a guest and hand them their own personal wand. *verymagicalexperience* Next stop was Honeydukes. There is candy literally EVERYWHERE. There is so much. It was really overwhelming. Honeydukes was not nearly as packed as Dervish and Banges, but there was still quite a bit of people. There were chocolate frogs, bertie botts every flavor beans, lollypops. OMG. There was just so much. Honeydukes is also connected to Zonkos joke shop. There were sneakoscopes, remembralls, crazy hats, cool t shirts (I bought a decoy detonator t shirt). I was only able to grab a peek at the Three Broomsticks and I stopped into the Hogs Head only briefly. The Hogs Head does have a giant Hog behind the bar though! It’s pretty awesome. That’s all I really got done before they started ushering the guests out around 12pm. But I assure you, this is definitely a place to visit if you get the chance! A really must experience for a true Potter fan.

AZ is fast approaching!

Animazement 13 (2010) is just around the corner on Memorial Day weekend! Just 62 more days to go from today! So, I figured I would update you all with hotel information, etc.

For the 2nd time in AZ history, the con will be located in downtown raleigh at the new Convention Center! (it was really cool last year…minus the escaltor issue, but I’ve heard that’s been fixed for this year!)

According to AZ’s website, both the Sheraton and Marriott are completely booked, but I’m sure if you keep checking, someone will abandon their room, happens every year.

Here’s a link to all of the hotel information -> http://www.animazement.org/location/hotels

If you need to pre-register still -> http://www.animazement.org/registration/attendees

And cool news: NOIZ is back again this year, so for everyon who enjoyed them last year or missed them, THEY’RE BACK!

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you right now. Bye!

-Danielle

Katsucon 16

http://www.neonpixie.com/?page_id=4&g2_itemId=5794

Whoo, got photos from Katsucon uploaded! There’s still some more that I need to add, but they’ll get up there soon!

-Danielle

I’m here, are you?

It’s 4:30am at Katsucon in the Gaylord. Nothing is happening. Rave is probably over by now. I’ve been going through a lot of the photos I’ve taken so far and I’ve got some good ones! I’ll be posting them up sometime next week. Hopefully on Monday. Well, peace out, NP needs SLEEP. We’ll be up early tomorrow morning to snag more photos. Love you guys!

-Danielle

Katsucon 2010

Katsucon 2010 is fast approaching! Are you going?

http://www.katsucon.com/

Don’t forget to pre-register! You don’t want to have to wait in those super long lines!

Well we’ll see you all there! ^__^

AUSA Pictures

Just uploaded all the pictures from the con that we took. Enjoy.

http://www.neonpixie.com/?page_id=4&g2_itemId=4409

Back from Anime USA

So exhausted, but it was a blast as usual. I’m working on resizing the pictures for upload. Give me a couple of hours or a day and they’ll be up here. Hope you all had as much fun as we did!

-Danielle

Car Show 2oo9

Hey everybody, this is something different from the usual post.

I went to a car show with my brother Halloween weekend and I’m just now getting around to putting pictures up. If you’re interested, here’s a link to the gallery:

http://www.neonpixie.com/?page_id=4&g2_itemId=4350

I’ll be progressively adding more as I sort through all the pictures. Peace!